However, Challengers confirmed on Thursday April 28 its schemes will have to close because they have lost funding from Surrey County Council (SCC) for the 2017-2021 period.

The closures will happen in November, after the busy summer holiday period.

Established in 1999, the Surrey programmes each provide a space for around 50 children with disabilities and special education needs to play and make friends while their parents take a break.

Three of the five schemes which are closing – at Woodlands School in Leatherhead; Linden Bridge School in Epsom; and St Stephens School in South Godstone – are "play" programmes that cater for children aged four to 12.

The other two – at Bookham Youth Centre; and NESCOT College in Ewell – are "youth" programmes for teenagers between 13 and 18.

Parents were left fuming after receiving an email from Challengers telling them the news.

The charity has been described as a lifeline for children with disabilities and special education (Image: TMS)

Mum-of-two Aimee Sayers, who lives in Whyteleafe and uses the South Godstone group, said: "The centre has been such a great help to me because I work full-time and I couldn't do that during school holidays [without childcare].

"My oldest son Kian needs one-on-one supervision because he is autistic, and a lot of other places don't offer that.

"At the moment, I don't really know what to do. Other play schemes in the area are much further away and have long waiting lists, which I can only see getting longer now."

Read More

A statement from the charity reads: "It has been difficult and upsetting to close these schemes when we know that Challengers is a lifeline to families and they have been established in these areas for so long.

"We are reassured by Surrey County Council that there will be services provided by YMCA East Surrey who have been awarded funding by SCC to deliver services that will replace Bookham Youth, Leatherhead Play, Epsom Youth (in Ewell) and Epsom Play.

"These are long standing Challengers schemes and have been running almost 18 years and so closure will be difficult for everyone concerned but we wish YMCA East Surrey well and will support children and young people to transition as much as we can."

Challengers also runs events including cinema trips, themed days out and special performances for children and young people aged two to 25 across the county.

Surrey County Council has been approached for a comment.

Keep up to date with the latest news from around the county via the free Get Surrey app.

You can set up your app to see all the latest news and events from your area, plus receive push notifications for breaking news.